New noises after off roading

[mgroeger]

I apologize in advance if this post gets too long, I'll try to keep it short but want to give as many details as possible. I still consider myself a noob when it comes to my LJ and the TJ platform in general. Yesterday we had a great day off roading but near the end of our adventure I noted the following. Feel free to comment on the parts you understand.
We had 1hr30mins drive there ranging from 35mph to 75mph, 5hrs of solid wheeling and then the same drive home. It was a 9hr day when you include air up/down and misc things. The point being the Jeep was literally running for 8hrs in a 9hr period, gauges read fine and tem/oil pressure were great. I have not had a chance to get under the Jeep and check this stuff out yet. After wheeling I take a look and make sure there are no fluid leaks, obviously damaged components or things in general not the way they should be before I drive home. I did have a check engine light come on when I started the Jeep to go home and I suspect it was the gas cap code that happened before since all gauges were perfect, fluid levels dead on and after disconnecting battery it went away and never came back.

- Towards the end of our 5hr trail ride I noticed the suspension getting creaky which I thought was a little odd since I literally greased it two weeks ago. I also noticed what sounded like two of the control arms clunking while we were on the trail. Today... nothing, general driving, speed bumps (hit aggressively) potholes... silent. All eight are JKS J-Flex arms.
- After we got off the trail and ready to get on a regular road I noticed the transmission whined as we pulled out and then slowly faded. It did this multiple times on the way home and you guessed it... it's silent today.
- Out of curiosity, while going down a straight smooth road, I put it into 4WD and then back out of 4WD. While I could feel it was out of 4WD it sounded like the transfer case was still somehow engaged. I dropped the speed down and it stopped making the noise like it finally disengaged completely. I do have the upgraded T-Case linkage, is it possible it needs to be adjusted?
- As we pulled into the driveway after having just driven for 30mins straight doing 75mph I noticed what could only be described as a cat crying. You couldn't hear it when going down the road but as I pulled in the driveway the sound was able to bounce off another car and a deck and it was very noticeable. I took the Jeep out for a 20min drive and got up to 60mph today and when I got back home I could her the noise again but much more faint. The noise only occurred when going forward today and occurs whether you are in drive or neutral. Last night I think it could also be heard in reverse but I can't recall for sure.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

[Cornbread]

Almost everytlime I go wheeling I end up with squeaky, or odd noises vibrations, etc. Pebbles, dirt, and sand can get caught around your springs in your brakes etc and cause some funky noises. Power washing sometimes helps, sometimes not. It can be a real pain to eliminate these sounds. Usually vibes come from caked mud in my rims which is a simple fix.

 

[mgroeger]

Almost everytlime I go wheeling I end up with squeaky, or odd noises vibrations, etc. Pebbles, dirt, and sand can get caught around your springs in your brakes etc and cause some funky noises. Power washing sometimes helps, sometimes not. It can be a real pain to eliminate these sounds. Usually vibes come from caked mud in my rims which is a simple fix.

Agree but there was no mud yesterday just a TON of dust. I did give it a good bath and I think that may have cured the squeaks. Hoping there is insight into the other noises because dirt/mud/dust can't account for them.

 

[Goatman]

Opda making the cat singing? Check for a broken control arm weld or bracket. All the suspension brackets. Of course try some more grease and check all fluid levels. Any sticks hidden up underneath?

 

[mgroeger]

Sound is coming from under the middle of the Jeep, maybe drive shaft area but I just replaced back U Joint and front is well greased and solid. Sounds travel so maybe OPDA but guess what? It's now gone.
No sticks or anything like that. After a good hose down the suspension is quiet but it will be getting grease and a thorough checking.
Idle seems rougher than normal but that could be bad gas, my gut told me not to stop at that station. It's very frustrating how the issues come and go. The one that scared me the most was the transmission whine since that is typically not a good sign. It too is silent now. It's almost like the Jeep was pissed I had driven it so hard and so long. It gets hot as hell under that hood and I'm sure the tranny was very hot and that possibly induced the whining noise. All fluid levels and gauges were spot on and in good condition.

 

[pagrey]

Power steering whine is pretty common when things get hot, any evidence of fluid around the reservoir cap? If your transmission was hot it should have been obvious it was in first stage overheat. The delayed shifts are a good giveaway. It will act different, like it is stuck in gear.

 

[ranwilrw]

My 32rh tranny will get hot and start doing strange things if I leave it in drive during extended stops like rr crossings, gridlock on the highway, long lines at a drive through, etc, I just bump it up in neutral if I'm stopped for more than a few seconds.

 

[mgroeger]

Power steering whine is pretty common when things get hot, any evidence of fluid around the reservoir cap? If your transmission was hot it should have been obvious it was in first stage overheat. The delayed shifts are a good giveaway. It will act different, like it is stuck in gear.

Ahhh... new info! I did not notice any fluid around PS cap but will double check tonight.
I'm 99.99% sure it was tranny whine. It occurred when you would get on the gas and I've heard tranny whine before and it would also time with the RPMs. Once you got moving it would be much less noticeable.
You say when the fluid gets hot there are delayed shifts. I don't recall feeling that HOWEVER I do feel that on the trail when I'm in 4LO in drive. It doesn't seem to like to shift from D to 2 easily so often times I will keep it in 2 when I am in 4LO unless the trail is smooth then I will pop it up in to D so it will drop the RPMs.
Tell me more about first stage overheat? Obviously working the tranny and engine like I did for 8 hours could cause this. What is second stage like, etc...
A tranny cooler has been on my to do list since I bought the Jeep almost a year ago. I've heard these run hot and it kills the life in them.

 

[ranwilrw]

A tranny cooler has been on my to do list since I bought the Jeep almost a year ago.
x2

 

[pagrey]

Get a temp gauge before a cooler, learn the overheat patterns before the gauge. What I call first stage is described in the FSM in section 3.3.3 as "Overheat" and is above 240. It is delayed 2-3 and 3-4 shifts with early 3rd gear lockup. Super Overheat is above 260 and the torque converter will stay locked almost all the time over 22mph even in 2nd gear. On the trail it is obvious as you might guess. Ist stage overheat does not damage the fluid or transmission. That's why there is no warning light or check engine light associated with it. When it happens just let the thing cool off. Most people have issues towing because when you are cruising there are no obvious warning signs that something is wrong, on the trail it is a totally different deal.

 

[MountaineerTom]

A tranny cooler has been on my to do list since I bought the Jeep almost a year ago. I've heard these run hot and it kills the life in them.

A tranny cooler has been on my to do list since I bought the Jeep almost a year ago.
x2

I put a trans temp gauge in mine and then a few months late added a B&M stacked plate trans cooler behind the grill. It dropped my temps about 20 degrees when idling in 90 degree weather for 15-20 minutes.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...4-supercooler-in-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.15329/

 

[pagrey]

I put a trans temp gauge in mine and then a few months late added a B&M stacked plate trans cooler behind the grill. It dropped my temps about 20 degrees when idling in 90 degree weather for 15-20 minutes.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...4-supercooler-in-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.15329/

Both the 180 you were running and the 160 you were seeing after adding the cooler are fine. Keep in mind your transmission fluid runs through a tube in your radiator at 200 to "cool" it off so obviously running at 180 is no big deal. In fact your fluid still might have been warming in the radiator at that temp. If you aren't running over the engine temp you have zero to worry about.

 

[mgroeger]

Get a temp gauge before a cooler, learn the overheat patterns before the gauge. What I call first stage is described in the FSM in section 3.3.3 as "Overheat" and is above 240. It is delayed 2-3 and 3-4 shifts with early 3rd gear lockup. Super Overheat is above 260 and the torque converter will stay locked almost all the time over 22mph even in 2nd gear. On the trail it is obvious as you might guess. Ist stage overheat does not damage the fluid or transmission. That's why there is no warning light or check engine light associated with it. When it happens just let the thing cool off. Most people have issues towing because when you are cruising there are no obvious warning signs that something is wrong, on the trail it is a totally different deal.

Hmmm... now I wonder if my check engine light was the tranny temp or the gas cap. After disconnecting battery to reset it never came back on however we also started moving at good speeds at that point so the tranny would have started to cool down.
Found a transmission guru online who recommends gauges and he liked this one...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00062YWBU/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[mgroeger]

Get a temp gauge before a cooler, learn the overheat patterns before the gauge. What I call first stage is described in the FSM in section 3.3.3 as "Overheat" and is above 240. It is delayed 2-3 and 3-4 shifts with early 3rd gear lockup. Super Overheat is above 260 and the torque converter will stay locked almost all the time over 22mph even in 2nd gear. On the trail it is obvious as you might guess. Ist stage overheat does not damage the fluid or transmission. That's why there is no warning light or check engine light associated with it. When it happens just let the thing cool off. Most people have issues towing because when you are cruising there are no obvious warning signs that something is wrong, on the trail it is a totally different deal.

Pardon my ignorance... "FSM in section 3.3.3"?

 

[pagrey]

In the Factory Service Manual (FSM) which is on this website in the resources section for the 2004 Wrangler there should be a General Information section at the end and in section 3.3.3 of that it talks about all this stuff.

Edit: always good to check those codes but I don't think there is one for trans over temp, just something like temp out of range or some electrical crap

 

[MountaineerTom]

Yeah, I just wanted to keep as cool as possible in these hot and muggy South Carolina summers. I have it routed after the radiator so hopefully it cools it just a tad bit more.